Dem At Blockbuster Hunter Biden Hearing Spends Five Solid Minutes Beating Up Chairman Over Invitation To Testify

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) spent a solid five minutes letting Kentucky Republican Congressman and Chairman of the House Oversight Committee James Comer have it over his invitation to let Hunter Biden choose whether to testify publicly or in private — which Comer went back on.

All hell broke loose Wednesday morning when Hunter Biden made a surprise appearance at a House Oversight Committee hearing on a resolution to hold Hunter in contempt of Congress.

It was the culmination of a drama that began months ago when Hunter Biden attorney Abbe Lowell offered, in a letter, to have Hunter testify provided the hearing is held in public, adding, “A public proceeding would prevent selective leaks, manipulated transcripts, doctored exhibits, or one-sided press statements.”

Republicans were not receptive to the offer, and on the day Hunter was summoned for a closed-door deposition, Hunter showed up outside and delivered a scathing statement announcing he’d defy the subpoena unless he could testify publicly. Republicans did not allow that.

After Republicans tried to make hay over the appearance, Moskowitz used his time to berate Comer by reminding him of an interview in which he said “we can bring these people in for depositions or committee hearings, whichever they choose, and we can ask these questions with evidence”:

REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ: Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. It’s good to see you after a long break.

So. I’m listening to the gentlelady from South Carolina about the witness being afraid to come in front of the committee. It’s interesting. He’s here. He doesn’t seem to be too afraid.

In fact, for some reason, the chairman, who on multiple occasions invited the witness to come, on TV– so apparently the chairman wants to pretend like his statements on television or in interviews don’t matter.

But it didn’t happen once. It didn’t happen twice. It happened multiple times. The chairman said the witness can choose whether to come to a deposition or to a public hearing in front of the committee.

The witness accepted the chairman’s invitation. It just so happens the witness is here. If the committee wants to hear from the witness and the chairman gave the witness that option, then the only folks that are afraid to hear from the witness, with the American people watching, are my friends on the other side of the aisle.

I don’t know if there’s a proper motion, Mr. Chairman, but I’ll make a motion. Let’s vote. Let’s take a vote. Who wants to hear from Hunter right now? Today? Anyone? Come on. Who wants to hear from Hunter?

REP. JAMES COMER: A motion (inaudible)

REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ: No one. So I’m a visual learner. And the visual is clear. Nobody over there wants to hear from the witness. Oh. This one. Thank you.

GOP REP: Will you yield for a question?

REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ: I’m not there yet, but I will eventually. Uh, so there’s no one other than 1 or 2 that want to hear from the witness. So the majority of my colleagues over there, including the chairman, don’t want to hear from the witness with the American people watching.

So, Mr. Chairman, ah, I just want to hear from you. Will you acknowledge that you invited the witness, on television, to choose whether he could come to a public hearing? And do you stand by your words, or do you renege that invitation to the witness?

REP. JAMES COMER: To answer the question, I’ve said repeatedly that after the deposition, Mr. Biden can come in front of a public hearing.

REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ: Mr. Chairman, I don’t want to play the video, but that is not what you said on television multiple times. We have the quotes. We can put them up. You said the witness can choose between a deposition–

REP. JAMES COMER: Listen Mr. Moskowitz! Mr. Biden doesn’t make the rules we make the rules.

REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ: No, no, Mr. Chairman, you make the rules. And the rule you made is that he can choose. That’s.

REP. JAMES COMER: The rule is.

REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ: Those were your. Those were your words. Reclaiming my.

REP. JAMES COMER: He was issued two lawful subpoenas.

REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ: Reclaiming my time, Mr. Chairman. No. You issued those subpoenas after he took you up on your invitation to come, and then you were like, oh, no, no. Oh, my God, what did we what did I do? I invited him to come so the American people can hear his side of the story. I put my foot in my mouth. So now I must bury him in the basement, where we can decide what we’re going to release to the public so that we can continue to tell that story.

Mr. Chairman, you have said multiple times that this is not about Hunter. It’s about Joe Biden. And even this morning on mornings with Maria, she asked another simple question. The question you have been asked multiple times, which is: do you have evidence to impeach the president of the United States?

Before you said, “I hope so.”.

Today you said, “I think so.”.

And the answer is you don’t and you still don’t. And so we continue to be here and have these charades.

To my colleagues who talk about lawful subpoenas, I appreciate the gentlelady, the gentlelady from South Carolina who voted to to hold people in contempt.

Listen, I’ll make this bipartisan. I’ll vote for the Hunter contempt today. You can get my vote. You can get my vote. But I want you to show the American people that you’re serious.

Here is the subpoena to Representative Scott Perry, who did not comply. I’d like to enter this into the record.

Here is the subpoena to Mark Meadows. I’d like to enter this into the record. Who did not comply. Here is the subpoena to Jim Jordan, who did not comply with a lawful subpoena. I’d like to enter that into the record.

Here is the subpoena to Mo Brooks, who did not comply. I’d like to enter that into the record. Here is the subpoena to Mr. Biggs, who did not comply. I’d like to enter that into the record. And here’s the subpoena to Mr. McCarthy, who did not comply. I’d like to enter that into the record.

There’s an amendment coming to add some of those names into the contempt order. You vote to add those names and show the American people that we apply the law equally, not just when it’s Democrats, right? It’s a crime when it’s Democrats, but when it’s Trump and the Republicans. It’s just fine. No, show that you’re serious and that everyone is not above the law. Vote for that amendment and I’ll vote for the Hunter Biden contempt. I yield back.

Watch above via CNN.